Umění, láska, vášeň a zrada v bohémské Paříži konce 19. století. Camille Claudelová a Jessie Lipscombová se setkaly při studiu v ateliéru Augusta Rodina. Jessie se stává svědkem vzestupu a pádu skvělé Camille, vynikající sochařky, kteřá propadla zoufalé lásce ke svému učiteli. Vztah Camille a Augusta trval mnoho let, přesto Auguste odmítal kvůli milence opustit svou životní partnerku.
I was born in India and grew up in Zambia, Spain and Venezuela before settling in Scotland, where I live with my husband and our son.
After graduating from Edinburgh University with a degree in English, I became a journalist working for a range of national newspapers. I’ve been freelance for the last 15 years writing features for the Scottish and national press.
I graduated with distinction from the University of Glasgow’s MLitt in Creative Writing, where I was awarded the Curtis Brown Prize in 2012, and was runner up for the Sceptre Prize. My debut novel, Paris Kiss, was longlisted in the Mslexia First Novel Competition in 2014.
My short stories have been published in magazines and in New Writing Scotland, and I’m now working on my second novel, which is set in Africa.
**Full disclosure: the author and I graduated from High School together, Class of 1980**
"Paris Kiss" shows a depth and vision rare in debut novels. I am always impressed by Historical Fiction writers; but beginning a literary career in this genre seems daunting to me! This particular work examines the dynamic artistic atmosphere during France's Belle Epoque.
Ritchie moves effortlessly from description, action, and dialogue. Her word selection is fresh, adding 'pop' to the longer passages. Furthermore, as a Librarian I was pleased with the thoroughness of her research: relevant and detailed where necessary.
Congratulations Maggie! Can't wait to see what comes next!
Absolutely loved this tale set in the late 19th/early 20th century in Bohemian Paris. The backdrop is the real-life relationship between Rodin and his mistress Camille Claudel, but also her friendship with the English sculptor Jessie Lipscomb. The art history was done with a light touch, while the tempestuous Camille packed a heavy punch. Definitely one to be recommended.
Loved this book! I read Rodin's Lover earlier this year and this book is definitely a companion read to it. It was great to be back in that time period and this book gave Jess's point of view. Great book and hope to read more of this author.
A triumph of a first novel which draws the reader in to a fascinating tale of love and friendship between artists, and the emotive struggle of women artists for equal status. Inspired by real events and people in the lives of Rodin and Claudel, Maggie Ritchie has created a perceptive and convincing study of the interactions and relationships of a group of young friends living in the artistic 'demi-monde' of the 'Belle Epoque'. Paris in the 1880s comes to life, much in the same way the clay does in her characters' hands.
This one was pretty good. The story was interesting, I was invested enough that I wanted to find out what happened to poor Camille. The story flowed between the present and the past.
Od prvních vět mě kniha chytla za srdce, postupně se mi dostala hluboko pod kůži, aby mě na konci rozervanou odvrhla. Výborně napsaný příběh, vykreslení pařížské atmosféry přelomu 19. a 20. století. Doporučuji.
This book tells of the relationship between two promising young female students of Auguste Rodin, gifted sculptresses trying to make a name for themselves in a male-dominated field/world. With the usual bunch of excentric bohemian artists and a bit of Paris lowlife atmosphere thrown in it makes for a light read.
Camille Claudel is a complex character. High-strung, proud, egocentric, passionate and ruthless in the pursuit of her aim she flaunts the conventions of the day and is blind to the consequences of her love affair with the famous and much older Rodin.
Jessie Lipscomb pales in comparison, in fact she is a bit of a ninny and her romantic entanglements with the dashing Georges, the steadfast William and the seductive Camille present nothing more than „light romance“. There are two absolutely ludicrous scenes where William appears seemingly out of nowhere to rescue his damsel in distress.
From the many 5-star reviews I had expected much more of this novel.
I'm slightly conflicted about this novel-- the first third is wonderful, the middle third is clunky and the final third is somewhere in between and yet those first and last few chapters were quite lovely.
Technically nothing is wrong with the writing, it just lacked life and connections. Add that this book about Rodin's lover tells very little about the great lover and I was left slightly underwhelmed by its promise.
The strongest theme is that of the very real challenges of being a woman artist before the 20th century... You can't help but wonder if all the art lost to the world because women were so often dismissed by critics and buyers alike.
Dávám tak 3.5… Ze začátku mě to moc nebavilo, pak se kniha vylepšila. Příběh zajímavý, ale pro mě asi nic úplně Wow. Ta historie mě asi opravdu moc nebere…
Paris Kiss offers a fictionalized version of the lives of famous artists during the late nineteenth century. English sculptor Jessie Lipscomb narrates the story, with most of the story centering around her friendship with fellow artist Camille Claudel. In reality, Camille was an incredible artist of her own, though overshadowed by her scandalous relationship with the famed Auguste Rodin and known for being institutionalized by her family for decades. This book has cameos from lots of other historical figures and artists: Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Suzanne Valadon, and Rosa Bonheur. It's a shame that the narrator of the book is the least interesting character!
Vášnivé letní čtení! Navíc jsem tuto knížku začala číst hned po Kožíkově Neklidném babím létě, kde se též objevuje postava Paula Claudela. Chtěla jsem si to mé setrvání v přelomu století prodloužit. A navíc ta Paříž! Četla jsem jedním dechem, některé pasáže mě doslova dostaly - zvlášt ty dotýkající se “snů mládí a reality dospělosti a stáří”. Nebo setkání Jessie a Georgese po více než 40 letech... Opojná kniha, někdy možná až trochu moc přefabulovaná, ale v létě tyto maličkosti odpouštím :)
This fascinating exploration of the artistic scene in Paris at the end of the nineteenth century closes the gap between any preconceptions that the bulk of sexual and artistic experimentation occurred with the sixties counterculture. After this nice English girl goes to Paris and meets with Camille and the contemporaries of Rodin, her life will never be the same again.
Beautiful story ispired by real events from the life of 19th century artists. Story full of emotions, friendship, love, betrayal and forgiveness. I was drawn in to the atmosphere of Paris during the Belle Époque and enjoyed it from the first page till the end.